A Southern road trip inspires a feast of favorite ingredients

Crab cakes, she-crab soup, pulled pork sandwiches, fried green tomatoes, cobblers: I've had them all. My husband, Rock, and I are on a road trip that has taken us from St. Martinville to Mobile, Raleigh and Beaufort, N.C. Today, we are in Lake Hartwell, S.C, just south of Greenville. In a few days, we'll continue our sojourn and wind our way down through Atlanta, Birmingham and then on to Natchez before we head home.

Without a doubt, we have eaten just about everything the South has to offer, and it's not over yet.

One particularly enjoyable evening involved several of us piddling in the kitchen cooking with ingredients that we had gathered from the local seafood and farmers markets, a backyard garden and a pickup truck parked on the roadside. The fresh ingredients dictated our very-Southern-inspired menu.

The repast began on the screened-in back porch, which was cooled by whirring ceiling fans. Goat cheese mixed with fresh figs and honey spread on lightly toasted slices of baguettes complemented by chilled fume blanc was just enough to whet our appetites.

The first course was inspired by several green tomatoes from the garden and a pound of beautiful lump crabmeat found at a small shop down the road.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Crabmeat Ravigote

Makes 6 servings

For the ravigote:

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons minced onions

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons Creole mustard

1/4 cup mayonnaise (or more to taste)

1 tablespoon ketchup

Hot sauce to taste

1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage

For the tomatoes

4 green tomatoes, sliced

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

Salt, cayenne, black pepper and garlic powder

2 cups vegetable oil

To make the ravigote: Combine all ingredients except the crabmeat. Fold in crabmeat and toss gently to coat evenly. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on a sheet pan or shallow bowl and sprinkle with salt.

To make the tomatoes: Combine the buttermilk and eggs in a bowl and whisk to blend. Combine the flour and cornmeal and season with salt, cayenne, black pepper and garlic powder to taste. Dredge each slice of tomato in the buttermilk mixture then in the flour-cornmeal mixture. Shake off any excess.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees in a large skillet. Fry the tomatoes, 3 to 4 slices at a time, in the hot oil until golden brown, turning once. Transfer the tomatoes to paper towels to drain.

To serve: Spoon amounts of the crabmeat mixture on the tomato slices and serve immediately.

North Carolina Creamed Corn

Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 stick butter

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped green or red bell peppers

2 medium-size tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

12 ears corn, shucked, cleaned and kernels cut off the cob

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 bacon slices, fried until crispy, drained and crumbled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers and tomatoes and cook, stirring, until soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the corn kernels and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and the cream and cook, stirring, until the mixture is creamy. Stir in the crumbled bacon and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Gently pound the fillets a bit to make them lie flat. Sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp or crabmeat and basil and season with salt, black pepper and cayenne. Add 3/4 cup of the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and stir so that the mixture binds together. Remove from the heat and cool.

Place a tablespoon or so of the mixture on top of the fish fillet and roll up like a jelly roll. (You may have to use a toothpick to hold the roll together.)

Place the roulades in a baking pan with the remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth and the half-and half. Dot with the remaining butter. Bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes. To serve, drizzle with the hollandaise and Creole mustard mixture.

Blueberry Cobbler

Makes about 8 servings

8 cups fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 can (12 ounces) refrigerated biscuits

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Place the berries in the baking dish and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Combine the flour and the sugar, spoon into the baking dish, and gently toss until the berries are coated. Bake for 10 minutes or until the mixture bubbles.

Remove from the oven and top with the biscuit dough. Bake for 20 minutes or until the biscuits are lightly browned.